WHY:
To recognize real-life events that exemplify exceptional stories of
bravery and heroism.

During the awards presentation, audience members will hear about
officers facing harrowing, deadly circumstances in the line of duty
as they protect and serve. These larger-than-life encounters
include:

• When Officers Stan Kensic
and Frank Tomlinson stopped two burglary suspects in Southwest
Division on April 27, 1962. The detention quickly escalated when a
group of
25 men surrounded the officers and began to brutally beat and shoot
them. As a result of
the attack, Officer Kensic fell into a coma and was hospitalized
for several months. Once recovered, Kensic returned to full duty
and eventually retired as a Captain. Tomlinson underwent several
surgeries to correct the damage caused from the gunshot
wounds.
He too returned to full duty and retired as a Detective III.

• On April 30, 1993, an
LAPD officer pursued an armed robbery suspect who grabbed a 12
year-old girl, placed the barrel of a pistol to her head and drove
away from the scene. Responding to the "Back-up" call, West Traffic
Division Motor Officer Stephen Kehoe arrived to the location and a
gun battle erupted. Making every effort to protect the young
hostage, Officer Kehoe bravely stood in front of the suspect's car
and in the direct line of fire of the suspect shot him in the right
thigh and left shoulder. Despite his wounds, Officer Kehoe jumped
back on his motorcycle and pursued the fleeing suspect. The suspect
was soon taken into custody and the young girl was reunited with
her family.

• When off-duty Officer
Vincent Ortiz, drove his family back from Disneyland on February
27, 2016, and witnessed a horrific fiery crash. Officer Ortiz
immediately pulled over and ran to the cries for help from a
trapped motorist. Ortiz pulled the motorist 30 feet away to safety,
just moments before the involved vehicles exploded.

• The shooting that took
place in small quarters on March 24, 2014, when Officers Sheila
Sparkman and Josue Pena responded to a radio call of a domestic
disturbance in Hollywood Division. As the suspect fired at the
officers, one of the bullets shattered a large mirror, causing
bullet fragments, mirrored glass, and wood from the doorframe to
strike Officer Sparkman's face and eyes. Her partner, Officer Pena,
pulled her from the bathroom and guided her to safety.

• The shooting of a Special
Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Officer Nelson Fong on August 18, 2014,
when SWAT and Metropolitan K-9 Officers responded to 77th Division,
to assist with the search of two suspects who opened fire on
officers with an assault rifle.

ADDITIONAL:
The mission of the LAPF is to create partnerships to provide
resources and programs that help the LAPD perform at their highest
level and to enhance LAPD-community relations. Since its founding
in 1998, the LAPF has invested more than $25 million in grants to
the LAPD in the areas of equipment and technology upgrades,
specialized training, community outreach, and youth programs.

INTERVIEWS:
Medal of Valor, Purple Heart and Preservation of Life honorees will
be available for print and television broadcast interviews on
Thursday, September 8, 2016. To make advance arrangements for
interviews, please contact Police Officer Liliana Preciado, LAPD
Media Relations Section, at 213-486-5910. Officer Preciado, is also
a Spanish speaker, and will be available to facilitate interviews
on the day of the event.
CONTACT:
For more information, please contact Police Officer Sara Faden,
LAPD Community Relationship Division, at 213-486-8426, or
213-841-2064. For information about the Los Angeles Police
Foundation, please call Pat Berni at 213-489-4636, or visit:
www.lapolicefoundation.org.